The eBook Animal

..is different somewhat from a paper book. And so is its copyright. Yet in many ways it is the same or similar. Weeding through this can be daunting.

People wonder if they can buy the eBook and sell it later. Some wonder if they can run off copies for their friends and give them away for Christmas presents.

Still others have decided that they can do anything with this material that they darn well please.

Not surprisingly, we have our own view. You're hearing it from the source:

Q: Can I print it?

A: Yes, and we encourage you to print the portions that you wish to refer to on paper. For some kinds of reading, paper is handier. It doesn't allow animated images, web links or richly detailed images, but you may not need all that if you have read it earlier on the computer.

We do not impose any printing restrictions on the PDF files. Our goal is to make it as convenient and pleasant an information gathering process as possible.

Q: Can I copy it?

A: You can--and should--copy the eBook files to your computer hard drive. No sense accessing the CD with every page jump. Chances are that your hard drive is much faster than your CD player.

You may copy it to all of your own personal computers that are under your personal, direct control. That way, you can read it at home, on the road, at your office or wherever you maintain a computer.

You can't copy it and sell the copies. The penalties for that--when we hear about it--are severe. A dentist in Louisiana nearly lost his license over that very idea; he decided to go into business for himself reproducing our work. We nailed him--and others--over this issue.

Copyright law--and in particular Digital Copyright law--forbids this practice and puts teeth in the law that makes it abundantly painful to those who get caught being pirates of copyrighted works.

We offer rewards to those who detect and alert us of software pirates. The pirate will never know it was you who turned them in...

Q: Can I sell it?

A: Yes you can, as long as you do four things (five if you sell it in a public forum such as eBay) then you can sell the eBook original with its package intact when you have outgrown it or no longer need it. Here is the list of things you MUST do, otherwise you have not lived up to the law:

1. (Only if selling it on a public sales site such as, but not limited to, eBay.) Inform the publisher that the sale will be appearing on days x through y. That will alert them of your legal sale and prevent you from looking like a software pirate. You'll get no hassle from them if you simply let them know what's going on.

eBay has had a policy for years of not allowing CDR materials to be sold through their site unless the seller is the original copyright holder. Both eBay and we know that software pirates are plentiful and eBay knows that they cannot legally be a willing party to software piracy. Now eBay allows resale of original material if the seller has permission from the copyright holder to do so.

Permission costs nothing. Ask first.

2. Remove every shred of eBook software and files from all of your computers. All of them.

3. Destroy every hard copy print-out you have made from any and all of the files.

4. Trash all of your iNovaFX Photoshop actions.

5. Destroy all traces of the original serial number that you may have kept as a record for upgrades and sidegrade purchases at a discount, and inform the recipient that upgrade privileges do NOT transfer with the transaction. Upgrade and sidegrade privileges only are granted to the original first recipient of each eBook.

Q: Can I give it away?

A: You may give the original away as long as you have completed steps 2 through 5 above. If you sell your camera, throwing in the eBook as part of the sale is a good incentive to the buyer.

You may NOT copy it and give the copy away. You have no right to copy it for purposes of giving it away. You can't run off print copies and give those away, either.

You may not sell a computer that includes it while keeping a copy for yourself. But you can include it in a computer sale as long as you do not keep a copy (or the original) for yourself.

Q: Can I lend it to a friend?

A: Yes, under certain conditions. As long as your "friend" does NOT make a copy of any of the materials on the CD onto their computer and trashes any files related to our work when they return the CD to you.

But if they do keep anything on their computer after returning the CD to you, then YOU are the primary copyright violator and we would come after you for damages. Damages start at $5000 plus all attorney's fees.

Better yet, lend your whole computer to your friend. Not happy with that? Perhaps you can see our point of view on this issue through that suggestion.

 

Copyright in the digital age is evolving. Perhaps some future system can be developed without onerous conditions that would allow you to sell it and not have to live up to today's conditions.

But for now, our eBooks are the legal equivalent of an object. You can buy a book, then sell it when you're finished with it. But if you were to run off a copy of it--just for reference, mind--then you could NOT sell the original without destroying your copy. Nor could you sell that copy to a friend.

We endeavor to only expect the same equivalent procedures from buyers of our eBooks. We want you to buy it and enjoy it and learn from it and use its included software and example files to your great benefit.

But we are merciless with people who steal it.

Of course, that isn't you, so this whole discussion is academic.

-iNova